The Word (radio)

"The Word" is a weekly radio programme on the BBC World Service about books and writers. Once a month it becomes "World Book Club" in which listeners send in questions to a famous writer. Both programmes are presented by Harriett Gilbert.

The Word

"The Word" emerged from an earlier World Service book programme "Meridian Books" (which had several presenters including Michael Rosen, [http://www.michaelrosen.co.uk/news_archive3.html Michael Rosen website] ] Verity Sharp, [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/presenters/verity_sharp.shtml Verity Sharp Radio 3 presenter biography] ] and Rosemary Hartill [ [http://www.barterbooks.co.uk/bb/barterstaticpages.nsf/web/staticpages/events Rosemary Hartill] ] ) as well as a poetry request programme, "Poems by Post".

Each week the programme will typically feature an author interview and a report on a topic such as 'new Malaysian writing'.

Each edition is broadcast on the BBC World Service several times during the week. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/worldservice/psims/ScheduleSDT.cgi World Service Schedule] ] It can also be heard online anytime during the week of transmission on the BBCwebsite. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/the_word.shtml "The Word" homepage] ]

In Harriett Gilbert's absences, the programme has been presented by, amongst others, Bidisha and Nii Ayikwei Parkes.

World Book Club

On the last Tuesday of each month "World Book Club" takes over the slot of "The Word". It features a famous writer who answers questions submitted by the public about one of his or her books. It is recorded in front of a live studio audience. [ [http://er.bsysmail.com/go.asp?/.pages.071101.meetthepresenter/bBBC001/xUJ4G51 BBC World Service Meet the Presenter Harriett Gilbert] ] Listeners around the world can submit questions before the recording.

"World Book Club" was launched at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/presenters/harriett_gilbert.shtml World Service profile] ] The first book featured was "Lake Wobegon Days" by Garrison Keillor [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2195287.stm] . Its fifth anniversary programme in November 2007 featured "The English Patient" by Michael Ondaatje.

Four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature have taken part: Doris Lessing (laureate 2007), V. S. Naipaul (laureate 2001), Orhan Pamuk (laureate 2006) and Wole Soyinka (laureate 1986).

As well as 'live' radio transmissions and online 'listen again' streaming, current programmes are also podcast. Previous programmes can be listened to online. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/133_wbc_archive_new/index.shtml World Book Club Archive] ]

Writers and books

Announced upcoming programmes are (with date of first broadcast):

*Alice Walker - "The Colour Purple" (28 October 2008)
*Derek Walcott - "Omeros" (recording 10 September 2008, broadcast TBA)
*David Guterson - "Snow Falling on Cedars" (recording 14th October 2008, broadcast TBA)
*Toni Morrison - "Beloved" (recording 27th October 2008, broadcast TBA)

Among the writers who have taken part on "World Book Club" (with the books that were the focus of discussion and date of first broadcast) are:
*E. Annie Proulx - "The Shipping News" and "Brokeback Mountain" (30 September 2008)
*David Lodge - "Nice Work" (26 August 2008)
*Chinua Achebe - "Things Fall Apart" (29 July 2008 repeat from June 2006)
*John Irving - "The World According to Garp" (24 June 2008)
*Khaled Hosseini - "The Kite Runner" (27 May 2008)
*Sebastian Faulks - "Birdsong" (29 April 2008)
*Jane Smiley - "A Thousand Acres" (25 March 2008)
*Patricia Cornwell - "Postmortem" (26 February 2008)
*Edna O'Brien - "The Country Girls" (29 January 2008)
*Umberto Eco - "The Name of the Rose" (25 December 2007)
*Sara Paretsky - "Indemnity Only" (November 2007)
*Michael Ondaatje - "The English Patient" (October 2007)
*Armistead Maupin - "Tales of the City" (September 2007)
*Irvine Welsh - "Trainspotting" (August 2007)
*Richard Dawkins - "The Selfish Gene" (July 2007)
*Thomas Keneally - "Schindler's Ark" (June 2007)
*Wole Soyinka - "" (May 2007)
*Mario Vargas Llosa - "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter" (April 2007)
*Iain Banks - "The Wasp Factory" (March 2007)
*Rose Tremain - "Restoration" (February 2007)
*Yann Martel - "Life of Pi" (January 2007)
*John Le Carre - "A Perfect Spy" (December 2006)
*William Boyd - "Brazzaville Beach" (November 2006)
*Frank McCourt - "Angela's Ashes" (October 2006)
*Arnold Wesker - "Chicken Soup with Barley" (September 2006)
*Ian Rankin - "Black and Blue" (August 2006)
*Joanna Trollope - "The Rector's Wife" (July 2006)
*Chinua Achebe - "Things Fall Apart" (June 2006)
*Kurt Vonnegut - "Slaughterhouse-Five" (May 2006)
*Orhan Pamuk - "My Name is Red" (April 2006)
*Alexander McCall Smith - "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" (March 2006)
*Scott Turow - "Presumed Innocent" (February 2006)
*Louis de Bernieres - "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" (January 2006)
*Philip Pullman - "Northern Lights" (December 2005)
*Vikram Seth - "A Suitable Boy" (November 2005)
*Maya Angelou - "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" (October 2005)
*Salman Rushdie - "Midnight's Children" (September 2005)
*André Brink - "A Dry White Season" (August 2005)
*Joyce Carol Oates - "Blonde" (July 2005)
*Carlos Fuentes - "The Death of Artemio Cruz" (June 2005)
*Nick Hornby - "Fever Pitch" (May 2005)
*Wilbur Smith - "When the Lion Feeds" (April 2005)
*Ian McEwan - "Atonement" (March 2005)
*Zadie Smith - "White Teeth" (February 2005)
*P. D. James - "Original Sin" (January 2005)
*Paulo Coelho - "The Alchemist" (December 2004)
*Kazuo Ishiguro - "The Remains of the Day" (November 2004)
*Roddy Doyle - "The Commitments" (October 2004)
*Anita Desai - "Fasting, Feasting" (September 2004)
*Amos Oz - "My Michael" (August 2004)
*Gillian Slovo - "Red Dust" (July 2004)
*Ken Follett - "Eye of the Needle" (June 2004)
*Tracy Chevalier - "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (May 2004)
*Germaine Greer - "The Female Eunuch" (April 2004)
*A. S. Byatt - "" (March 2004)
*Martin Cruz Smith - "Gorky Park" (February 2004)
*Amy Tan - "The Joy Luck Club" (January 2004)
*V. S. Naipaul - "A House for Mr Biswas" (December 2003)
*Isabel Allende - "The House of Spirits" (November 2003)
*Peter Carey - "Oscar and Lucinda" (September 2003)
*Frederick Forsyth - "Day of the Jackal" (October 2003)
*Ruth Rendell - "A Judgement in Stone" (August 2003)
*Julian Barnes - "Flaubert's Parrot" (July 2003)
*Terry Pratchett - "The Colour of Magic" (May 2003)
*Margaret Atwood - "The Handmaid's Tale" (April 2003)
*Jung Chang - "Wild Swans" (March 2003)
*Doris Lessing - "The Grass is Singing" (February 2003)
*Hanif Kureishi - "The Buddha of Suburbia" (January 2003)
*Ben Okri - "The Famished Road" (December 2002)
*Arundhati Roy - "The God of Small Things" (November 2002)
*Martin Amis - "Money" (October 2002)
*Garrison Keillor - "Lake Wobegon Days" (September 2002)

Quote

Harriett Gilbert has said about the programmes,

"For a book addict, I have the dream job. On "The Word", I get to talk about their work with writers I admire and enjoy. On "World Book Club", I introduce those writers to their readers, all around the world and sit back while they enjoy themselves. If only Charles Dickens were still alive!"

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/the_word.shtml "The Word" homepage - including the listen again facility]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/world_book_club.shtml "World Book Club" homepage - including the listen again facility]

References